Locking means for oil barrels



March 1, 1949. .P. T DOUBBLE 2,462,951

LOCKING MEANS FOR OIL BARRELS Filed Deb. 4, 1945 INVL'NTOR PKTER THORP! DOUBBLE M ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1, 1949 OFFIQE LOCKING MEANS FOR OIL BARRELS Peter Thorpe Doubble, Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada Application December 4, 1945, Serial No. 632,634

1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in looking means for oil barrels.

For the lack of satisfactory locking means for steel drums or barrels in which oil and gasoline is carried, many logging and mining operators and civil engineering contractors lose substantial sums of money through the pilfering of or otherwise unauthorized use of gasoline and oil. Large quantities of oil are stored temporarily in steel drums by such operators as above enumerated because the nature of their work makes the installation of underground tanks impracticable and the present invention is designed to safeguard the contents of the barrels whether they are stored in sheds or in the open. Other objects are to provide a means for automatically opening the vent to the barrel incidental to the removal of the locking means, and for locking the normal outlet from the barrel and closing the barrel vent simultaneously.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a general view, part in section, of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a detail View of the vent in open position.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

The numeral l indicates generally an oil drum having an outlet flange 2 and a vent flange 3 in the upper end wall 4. A valve fitting 6 is adapted to be screwed into the outlet flange 2. This fittin terminates at its base in a nipple I having a large thread 8 and a small thread 9 so as to be capable of fitting any normal oil drum outlet flange. The nipple is provided with a nut II which carries a cylindrical base l2 and a broad vertical column l3 having a round aperture [4 at its upper end.

An outlet valve is is fitted into the base I2 and communicates with the interior of the barrel I, the valve is preferably of the push button spring loaded type, which is self closing, as shown in Figure 1, and is adapted to be covered with a cylindrical cap ll which fits snugly onto the cylindrical base and is adapted to be held in place thereon by a bar l9 extending through opposing apertures 20 formed in the cap adjacent its upper end.

A vent fitting 2! is adapted for insertion into the flange 3 and consists of a cylindrical body 22 having a nut 23 and a large and a small diameter thread generally indicated by the numerals 24 and 25. The body is provided with a central bore 21 which communicates with the barrel and with a valve recess 28 in the upper end of the body. Communicating with the valve recess and the bore 21 is a transverse passage 30 extending to the outside of the body. An opening 3| extends through the body above the base of the recess which is tapered inwardly from opposite sides as at 32 and is adapted to receive the headed end 3!; of the bar it. A rubber valve 35 is fitted in the recess 28 which is substantially semi-spherical as at 36 in its upper portion and terminates in a cone 3'2 at its base. The cone 3! is of lesser diameter than the valve recess 28 and the upper portion 36 rests upon an annular rim 38 to support the apex of the cone 3'! out of contact with the bore 21, see Figure 2, but When the bar I9 is inserted into the opening 3! the scrub-spherical portion at of the'valve 35 is depressed and the cone is driven downwards to close on" the bore 27. When the bar is removed, the valve will resume its normal shape, leaving the vent open as shown in Figure 2.

When a drum is received, the bungs are removed from the flanges 2 and 3 and a fitting 6 screwed into the flange 2 and a vent fitting 2! screwed into the flange 3. The bar I9 can be used if desired to tighten up these fittings into their flanges or an appropriate Wrench used instead. When some of the contents are to be withdrawn from the drum it is appropriately tilted and the contents are withdrawn through the valve It in the usual Way. Since the rubber valve 35 in the vent fitting is not under axial pressure from the bar, the vent bore 2? will be open so that free drawing can be obtained. When it is desired to lock the drum, the cap H is placed upon the valve fitting 6 and the openings 26 aligned with the aperture M of the column 3. The bar i9 is inserted through the opening 3 thus depressing the rubber valve 3?: to close the vent and then passed through the cap i1 and the column 43 and a padlock is secured to its eyed end as at lll, thus preventing any access to the valve l6 and leaving the vent ciosed, so that nothing can be withdrawn from the drum even through the vent bore 2?.

What I claim as my invention is:

A locking means for oil drums and the like having a threaded outlet opening and a threaded vent opening, a plug adapted for insertion into the outlet opening, a vent plug adapted for insertion into the vent opening, each of said plugs having a transverse opening, a bar adapted for insertion through the openings, means for locking the bar against removal from the openings, said vent plug having a vent passage adapted to communicate with the interior of the drum and a valve adapted to close the vent passage in re- 3 SpOnse to the insertion of the bar into the open- Number ing in the vent plug. 1,473,751 PETER. THORPE DOUBBLE. 1,656,686

1,718,270 7 REFERENCES CITED 5 2 063 394 The following references are of record in the file of th1s patent: Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 109,741 Number Name Date 10 656330 891616 Groetz Sept. 1, 1908 Name Date Walker Nov. 13, 1923 Tjepkes Jan. 17, 1928 Wyman June 25, 1929 Meyer Dec. 8, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1917 France Jan. '7, 1929 

